Systems and methods exist for refreshing and updating content on websites. Conventional systems and methods generally send the entire hypertext markup language (“HTML”) of the website to refresh a page (i.e., perform a full page refresh). This is inconvenient because the entire user interface provided by the website is disrupted while the website refreshes. Additionally, conventional page refreshing uses a great amount of processing and bandwidth resources to receive and render the entire page again.
A Rich Internet Application (“RIA”) is a website, application, game, widget, etc., that can dynamically load content, such as page content or advertising, without reloading the entire website or application. RIAs are accessed through web browsers or clients and, unlike traditional applications, require no software installation. RIAs generally implement client-side code, such as JavaScript code, or other client-side technologies, such as Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (“AJAX”) or JavaScript Object Notation (“JSON”) technologies, to refresh content by requesting additional data and then reassembling the data in the browser, i.e., at the client side. These systems and methods require a request to go back and forth to update each section of the page. In other words, to update every page section, a unique request must be generated and transmitted. Also, the markup code must be reassembled. Thus, these systems and methods are resource intensive and reduce the effectiveness of websites as dynamic user interfaces.
While systems and methods are described herein by way of example and embodiments, those skilled in the art recognize that systems and methods for dynamically updating RIAs are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood that the drawings and description are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Any headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used herein, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.